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HSK 5 · VERSION 2.0#93

Let Alone with “gèng búyòng shuō...”

更不用说……

gèng búyòng shuō...

How it works

更不用说…… (gèng búyòng shuō...) means “let alone...” or “not to mention...” It introduces an even more extreme case that becomes obvious from the previous statement.

Compared with 别说……就是…… (bié shuō...jiù shì...), 更不用说…… (gèng búyòng shuō...) is often cleaner and slightly more formal.

The pattern

Clause 1, 更不用说 (gèng búyòng shuō) + Clause 2

Example sentences

他连最基本的规则都没弄清楚,更不用说独立完成这个项目了。

Tā lián zuì jīběn de guīzé dōu méi nòng qīngchu, gèng búyòng shuō dúlì wánchéng zhège xiàngmù le.

He has not even understood the most basic rules, let alone complete this project independently.

这点儿钱连日常开销都不够,更不用说存下来买房了。

Zhè diǎnr qián lián rìcháng kāixiāo dōu bù gòu, gèng búyòng shuō cún xiàlái mǎi fáng le.

This little money is not even enough for daily expenses, let alone saving up to buy a house.

他平时连中文都不太愿意开口,更不用说在会上用中文做报告了。

Tā píngshí lián Zhōngwén dōu bù tài yuànyì kāikǒu, gèng búyòng shuō zài huì shàng yòng Zhōngwén zuò bàogào le.

He is usually not even very willing to speak Chinese, let alone give a report in Chinese at a meeting.

Key point

This structure is excellent for formal and logical emphasis in both speaking and writing.

Source: HelloMandarin · Revised edition, 2026 · PDF pp. 284–285.

Old_HSK_1-6_Grammar_Points_2.0.pdf

Old six-level teaching collection. This is an independent learning reference.

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